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Campaigning for bypolls to 7 assembly seats concludes, voting on Sept 5
The bypolls will be held for two seats in Tripura, and one each in Kerala, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand
Campaigning for bypolls to seven assembly seats across six states — the first set of electoral contests at the legislative level after the formation of the opposition bloc INDIA — came to a close on Sunday.
The bypolls will be held for two seats in Tripura, and one each in Kerala, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, on Tuesday, and the votes will be counted on Friday.
In Ghosi assembly seat of Uttar Pradesh, the battle of the two alliances has been evident with the Congress and Left extending support to the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, and campaigning against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Dara Singh Chauhan — who crossed over from the SP to the BJP, necessitating the bypoll. The SP has fielded Sudhakar Singh.
SP chief and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav said, “Parties once against us are now supporting the SP. We thank them for supporting the ‘samajwadis’. This is an important fight... the outcome will bring a change in the politics of the country.”
The BJP campaign, meanwhile, has been led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath. “People associating with the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have no concern for the constituency. We have worked for the people without any discrimination,” Adityanath said. The BJP has been supported by its new partner Suheldev Bahujan Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the NISHAD party – the other two NDA allies.
In Dhupguri assembly seat of West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Congress-CPI(M), and the BJP will battle it out. TMC, Congress and CPI (M) are part of INDIA.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray. CPI (M) state secretary Mohammad Salim and state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have both held rallies in Dhupguri, where they attacked the TMC and the BJP.
TMC MP Santanu Sen said, “What is happening in Dhupguri has no bearing on the efforts of the INDIA opposition bloc at the national level. But, it is true that in Bengal, at times, the role of the CPI (M) and the Congress is helping the BJP. We are steadfast in our fight against the BJP.”
Hitting out at the opposition alliance, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said the cracks are visible even before the opposition bloc has taken off. “Dhupguri is a classic example of how brittle this opposition front is. Now, the people will decide accordingly,” he said.
In Bageshwar assembly seat of Uttarakhand, the principal contenders in the state are the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress. The Bageshwar seat fell vacant after the death of sitting MLA Chandan Ram Das. The BJP has fielded the late BJP leader’s wife Parvati Das against advocate Basant Kumar, who quit the Aam Aadmi Party to join the Congress in 2023.
Talking about the bypolls, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “I am confident that the people will once again like the bogies of Bageshwar with the double engine government.”
Congress heavyweights Harish Rawat, state Congress president Karan Mahara and leader of opposition in the assembly Yashpal Arya have also campaigned in the constituency, drumming up support for Kumar.
In Kerala, the bastion of late Congress leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy, Puthupally, will also go to polls on Tuesday.
The campaign has been a unique father-son political face-off, with former defence minister AK Antony campaigning for the Congress candidate Chandy Oommen (Oommen Chandy’s son), and his son Anil K Antony, who is the BJP national secretary, backing his party’s candidate. The CPI (M) has fielded Jaick C Thomas.
In Dumri assembly seat in Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc candidate Bebi Devi is locked in a direct contest with NDA candidate Yashoda Devi.
The seat has turned out to be a prestige issue for both alliances with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha claiming that the INDIA bloc will begin its victory journey from Dumri, and the NDA exuding confidence that it will snatch the seat from JMM. The Dumri seat fell vacant after the death of formed education minister and JMM MLA Jagarnath Mahto.
Tripura is the only state with two bypolls slated for Tuesday. Boxanagar seat fell vacant after the death of CPI (M) MLA Samsol Haque, while the bypoll in Dhanpur was necessitated after Union minister Pratima Bhoumik resigned from the assembly.
